Xi’an, the capital city of Shaanxi Province, is located just in the heart position of China. It was named as Chang’an meaning eternal peace and safe in ancient times. Xi’an has experienced thousand year’s splendor and became the important cradle of orient civilization. If you don’t come to Xi’an, it is meaningless that you say you have been to China.

Xi’an is in the heart of the Central Plain of Shaanxi along the middle reaches of the Yellow River. Eight rivers wind across the city and continuous mountains encircle this place. Being in the heart of fertile Guanzhong Central Plain, Xi’an locals never worry about food. This advanced geography endows Xi’an the condition to be capital of so many dynasties. Also the mountains and rivers form beautiful landscapes for Xi’an. Mount. Hua is famous for its steepness and rare scenery. There are many other forest parks surrounding the city, providing good holiday resort for the citizens.

Xi’an is reputed as one of the four famous ancient capitals of the world, together with Rome, Athens and Istanbul. It is now a world-famous tourist city because of its profound history and rich culture. Firstly it is the start point of the famous Silk Road, which makes it begin to receive the foreign cultures from the very early times. This makes Xi’an an international metropolis since the ancient times. Secondly it served as the capital city for 13 dynasties; the number outruns that of any other ancient cities in China. It is the capital of Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang dynasties when ancient China enjoyed it reputation as the most powerful country in the world for its extreme prosperity. Much of its culture and history has been preserved and passed down to today because of its somewhat isolated location in the mid-west of the country. Here you can find abundant historical relics that have been discovered or excavated from the inside and around the city. The most famous ones are the Eighth Wonder of the World Terra-cotta Warriors, The best preserved City Wall, The Buddhism holly place Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and the collection of historic relics Shaanxi History Museum, the imperial palace Huaqing Hot Springs, the primary clan community Banpo Museum 6,000 years ago.

The climate in Xi’an is favorable and its natural surroundings are very beautiful. The average annual temperature for the city proper is 13.3 degrees centigrade. There are clear distinctions among the four seasons around the year. The warm spring and cool autumn are the best time to visit this place.

Xi’an is a large city with 9,983 square kilometers and a population of over 8 million. Natives of Xi’an area are widely believed to be friendly, conservative, sow in response to changes, stubborn and well-educated. Habits of Xi’an locals are quite peculiar, especially in the rural places. There is a saying ‘Squatting instead of sitting down’. When people get together for relaxing and chatting, they usually squat for even longer than one hour. They do not feel uncomfortable by squatting. On the contrary, they feel better squatting than sitting. The other one is that Girls won’t marry far. Xi’an parents do not allow their daughter to marry far away. This concept roots in the ancient times when the central Guanzhong Plain was the most ideal place for human living. It is full of food but without wars. It is safe because of the imperial powers and the advanced geography.

Xi’an is also famous for its various local snacks. The most representative are the mutton and bread shred in mutton soup. Before you enjoy it, you need to break the bread into pieces and put them in to a large bowl by yourself, and then the cooker will put fresh mutton or beef soup on it. Quite fresh and delicious! The other one is the cold noodles. It can be regarded as a cold dish. It withstands long time chewing, and is matched with different sources like vinegar, chili, sesame paste and other vegetables like bean sprout and cucumber slices. Chili is a dish for Xi’an locals. They add it into the noodles, or put it into the bread. This is also a peculiarity of Xi’an people.

Xi’an ranks fourth in the country in terms of higher education. It has 43 universities and institutes. There is a Chang’an College Town being built to house most of the universities. Private education is also developing with a fast pace here. There are a dozen of private institutions up till now.

Because of highly development of the education, Xi’an never worries about talent. It has many national advanced industries relying on the talents such as the national defense, aviation, and high-tech industries. Also tourism in Xi’an has become a pillar industry. There are 38 international hotels and restaurants, as well as 27 international travel agencies. Besides, the city is facilitated with convenient transportation because of its geographic location at the centre of China. Xi’an Xianyang International Airport is one of the largest in China. The famous Euro-Asian Continental Bridge runs across China and Xi’an is one important stop on this route. Old and new railways are running from Xi’an to all directions. Xi’an highways ranks the second in terms of transport capacity only after Beijing.

The historical relics write the mystery and splendor for Xi’an, while the rich local culture adds Xi’an with more charm. Now, Xi’an, just as what it did in the great Tang Dynasty, is accepting all foreign cultures and welcoming friends from all over the world. Welcome to Xian!

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